Deal to Walls...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"I thought Walls had almost no 504s or IEPs (are they the same?)...which historically is how it has always been.

I don't quite know how this is achieved as I would imagine it is illegal to disqualify someone directly."

No they are not the same. My DC had a 504 Plan and attended Walls. I'm not sure how many other students did, but there were a few. No idea on the number of IEPs

They make it VERY difficult to have an IEP and Walls
Example: Special Education teacher goes out on parental leave and no plan to provide special education support from Jan through end of May.
Require student to take a special elective for "study skills" as the only place to receive the special education support.

Once students realize the barriers the school puts up to access their education, they request that the IEP be transitioned to a 504.

[Anonymous]

Deal to Walls parent here.
As above - half merit, half luck (including whether their teachers, interviewers are a good match).
I told my kid that after having good grades and letters, it was luck of the draw and that if they don't get an interview or get in, it doesn't mean that they aren't worthy of a spot. We saw the application as a bonus - good if it happens, ok if it doesn't.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As far as I can tell:
Keep a 4.0
Nail the middle school essay rubric
Be good at a five minute interview about yourself and Why Walls
Luck

Of all of those, the first is one as a parent you might spend most long term focus on. The second is one you can check via checking specific work periodically. The third is partly personality, can be improved with practice, but does require that your kid do something besides School, Video Games, Phone.
The last just IS a factor. There are more applicants than spaces. Shrug.

I second this, plus, as PP noted, make sure to develop relationships with ELA and Math teachers who will provide good recs (the recs last year needed to be from ELA and Math). Also give those teachers the respect of giving them as much notice as possible that you will be requesting recs.

My kid got into Walls but declined. 4.0, nice kid, advanced math, knows the DCPS essay rubric, comes across as thoughtful and mature and enjoys a variety of ECs, but isn't student council president or any sort of music prodigy or super-star athlete or anything like that. Most kids we know who got in also fit this description. I'm sure there were other kids like this who did not get in, but this sort of background should at least give your kid a decent shot. The GPA is the threshold question (you won't get past the first step if you don't meet the cut-off), so if you are serious about Walls you need to be on top of the GPA in 7th grade.

Congrats but would you mind sharing why you/your kid declined?

[Anonymous]

Culture.

We're more comfortable with the 'grind' that Banneker offered.

Walls seemed oriented around maximizing opportunities for achievement.

Both are valuable, we just valued one more than the other.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Culture.

We're more comfortable with the 'grind' that Banneker offered.

Walls seemed oriented around maximizing opportunities for achievement.

Both are valuable, we just valued one more than the other.

I am familiar with both schools and this is a great way to describe them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Culture.

We're more comfortable with the 'grind' that Banneker offered.

Walls seemed oriented around maximizing opportunities for achievement.

Both are valuable, we just valued one more than the other.

I don’t get how this can be the case. If your kid got into Walls, then they listed it higher than Banneker in the lottery and wouldn’t have matched at Banneker. If you ranked Banneker higher for the reasons listed above, then you wouldn’t actually know if your kid got into Walls.

[Anonymous]

NP. Isn’t it possible to list Walls first, get waitlisted, get into Banneker, get off the Walls waitlist but then decide in the end that although Banneker was the second choice, it’s actually a better fit?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:NP. Isn’t it possible to list Walls first, get waitlisted, get into Banneker, get off the Walls waitlist but then decide in the end that although Banneker was the second choice, it’s actually a better fit?

NP and yes.

[Anonymous]

Hardly ever happens.

[Anonymous]

The process last year, as I understand it, had 4 criteria: 1. GPA (10%), 2. Two teacher recs (15% each)d, 3. Interviews (separately for student and family), and 4. Essay.

1 and 2 are submitted through MySchoolDC and determine whether the kid goes on to 3 and 4. My kid's GPA wouldn't have gotten them in any other year, but somehow they seem to have gotten decent teacher recs, which is equally mystifying bc he has ADHD and is surely a PIA student. In any case, he thus got invited to interview while several of his friends with much better grades or even all As didn't get the opportunity. So far he's been doing well with his 504, mainly bc he's found a group of really supportive friends who help each other, send out reminders, etc.

Good luck!

[Anonymous]

PP here: It was a more mundane situation. After successful interviews at both BBAHS and SWW, we went back and forth on which to place 1 vs 2 on the lottery list. We chose Banneker as 1.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hardly ever happens.

Actually lots of kids who were waitlisted this year got into Walls after the school year started. And lots said no.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The process last year, as I understand it, had 4 criteria: 1. GPA (10%), 2. Two teacher recs (15% each)d, 3. Interviews (separately for student and family), and 4. Essay.

1 and 2 are submitted through MySchoolDC and determine whether the kid goes on to 3 and 4. My kid's GPA wouldn't have gotten them in any other year, but somehow they seem to have gotten decent teacher recs, which is equally mystifying bc he has ADHD and is surely a PIA student. In any case, he thus got invited to interview while several of his friends with much better grades or even all As didn't get the opportunity. So far he's been doing well with his 504, mainly bc he's found a group of really supportive friends who help each other, send out reminders, etc.

Good luck!

IMO, I think it’s crazy that teachers recommendations are weighted 3 times more than GPA just to advance.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The process last year, as I understand it, had 4 criteria: 1. GPA (10%), 2. Two teacher recs (15% each)d, 3. Interviews (separately for student and family), and 4. Essay.

1 and 2 are submitted through MySchoolDC and determine whether the kid goes on to 3 and 4. My kid's GPA wouldn't have gotten them in any other year, but somehow they seem to have gotten decent teacher recs, which is equally mystifying bc he has ADHD and is surely a PIA student. In any case, he thus got invited to interview while several of his friends with much better grades or even all As didn't get the opportunity. So far he's been doing well with his 504, mainly bc he's found a group of really supportive friends who help each other, send out reminders, etc.

Good luck!

IMO, I think it’s crazy that teachers recommendations are weighted 3 times more than GPA just to advance.

That is crazy.

Is it the same this year?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The process last year, as I understand it, had 4 criteria: 1. GPA (10%), 2. Two teacher recs (15% each)d, 3. Interviews (separately for student and family), and 4. Essay.

1 and 2 are submitted through MySchoolDC and determine whether the kid goes on to 3 and 4. My kid's GPA wouldn't have gotten them in any other year, but somehow they seem to have gotten decent teacher recs, which is equally mystifying bc he has ADHD and is surely a PIA student. In any case, he thus got invited to interview while several of his friends with much better grades or even all As didn't get the opportunity. So far he's been doing well with his 504, mainly bc he's found a group of really supportive friends who help each other, send out reminders, etc.

Good luck!

IMO, I think it’s crazy that teachers recommendations are weighted 3 times more than GPA just to advance.

That is crazy.

Is it the same this year?

Yes—the process is bonkers.